Home Owner Programs

Federal Programs

About Us

Moving to Work Demonstration Program

The purpose of this demonstration is to give public housing agencies and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development the flexibility to design and test various approaches for providing and administering housing assistance that: reduce cost and achieve greater cost effectiveness in Federal expenditures;

give incentives to families with children where the head of household is working, seeking work, or is preparing for work by participating in job training, educational programs, or programs that assist people to obtain employment and become economically self-sufficient; and increase housing choices for low-income families.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's mission is to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination. HUD fulfills this mission through high ethical standards, management and accountability, and by forming partnerships with community organizations.

Office - Inquiries should be addressed to the Public Housing Director who has jurisdiction over the PHA (See the Catalog, Appendix IV for HUD Program office addresses).

A standard MTW Agreement was developed and implemented in 2008. It has a ten-year term and will mandate evaluations of MTW agencies three years and six years into the demonstration.

Uses and Use Restrictions

Under the demonstration, notwithstanding any provision of the United States Housing Act of 1937 except as provided in section 204(e)of Public Law 104-134, an agency may combine operating assistance provided under section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, and tenant-based assistance provided under section 8 of such Act,to provide housing assistance for low-income families, as defined in section 3(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, and services to facilitate the transition to work on such terms and conditions as the agency may propose and the Secretary may approve.

Public housing agencies administering the public housing program and/or the section 8 housing assistance payments program may be selected by the Secretary to participate.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Low-income public housing residents.

Credentials/Documentation

PHAs must enter into an agreement with the Department that details the terms and conditions of participation in the demonstration.

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication Coordination: PHAs consult with local government officials and PHA residents as they plan for activities to be included in the application.

The initial application must request authority to combine assistance under sections 8 and 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937; must be submitted only after the public housing agency provides for citizen participation through a public hearing and, if appropriate, other means; and must include a plan developed by the agency that takes into account comments from the public hearing and any other public comments on the proposed program, and comments from current and prospective residents who would be affected.

This program is not eligible for coverage under E.O.

12372, &quot;Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.&quot;

Application Procedures

PHAs annually submit an MTW Plan to the program office that documents new and ongoing MTW activities. Plans must include criteria for: (A) families to be assisted, which shall require that at least 75 percent of the families assisted by participating demonstration public housing authorities shall be very low-income families, as defined in section 3(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937; (B) establishing a reasonable rent policy, which shall be designed to encourage employment and self-sufficiency by participating families, consistent with the purpose of this demonstration, such as by excluding some or all of a family's earned income for purposes of determining rent; (C) continuing to assist substantially the same total number of eligible low-income families as would have been served had the amounts not been combined; (D) maintaining a comparable mix of families (by family size) as would have been provided had the amounts not been used under the demonstration; and (E) assuring that housing assisted under the demonstration program meets housing quality standards established or approved by the Secretary; and (4) may request assistance for training and technical assistance to assist with design of the demonstration and to participate in a detailed evaluation.

Award Procedures

The program office reviews and approves the MTW Plan.

Deadlines

PHAs must submit an MTW Plan to the program office 75 days in advance of the PHA's fiscal year.